Pitt head coach Jeff Capel gives Kevin Sheehan the skinny on No. 14 pick Bub Carrington
The Wizards surprised many by dealing Deni Avdija on Wednesday night, but part of the package they got back from Portland was the No. 14 pick, which was used on Pitt guard Bub Carrington.
A somewhat familiar face from the ACC, as Maryland fans got to see Carrington last year as a Pitt freshman, and another familiar face – current Pitt and former VCU head coach and ex-Duke player Jeff Capel – joined Kevin Sheehan today to give us the hub on Bub:
“I think what the Wizards saw is a really talented young guard with incredible upside, who won’t be 19 until July,” Capel said. “He had an unbelievable year for us playing the point guard position, really for the first time in his life, but he showed that he can do it at a very high level. He was elite in ball screen action, whether it was him getting to spots, making plays out of it for others, or getting all the way to the basket and finishing, and he's unbelievably competitive and really, really smart.”
Carrington had a last-minute workout with the Wizards last weekend, and Capel thinks that the Wizards had their eyes on him since the minute he declared – and they were able to get him with what was technically the last pick in the lottery.
“They were really impressed obviously with his talent, but seeing how he worked, and then just getting to know him and spend some time with him, you're blown away that someone that young can be so mature and so thoughtful and so funny,” Capel said. “I think that's what they saw and, you know, I love what Washington did in the draft last night. Sarr has unbelievable upside, and the kid from Miami, George, I coached against him and he’s good, and I think Bub could be your future point guard. His upside is off the charts.”
Carrington is just 18, and grew eight inches over the last year-plus from the end of high school until now, and Capel thinks he might keep growing – but don’t expect his skills to diminish because of it.
“When we started recruiting him, he was probably about 5-foot-10, but you saw the ball skills, you saw him being able to get the spots, and you saw him being able to be creative with the basketball,” Capel said. “I’ve known his dad for a really long time, so I knew the work ethic was there, but he looked like a little kid, so you just always felt that he would grow because he was really all arms and legs. You saw him continue to grow and get bigger, and his arms became longer, and the ball skills were still there.”
And, yes, Capel gave the Carrington family an honest assessment of Bub’s NBA future, and now, that has come to fruition with a selection in the top half of the draft.
“They wanted information so they could make an informed decision, and one of the big questions that people had NBA people had was they didn't think he finished; they didn't think he got fouled enough, got to the basket and finished,” Capel said. “I tried to explain that two years ago he was 5-foot-10, so he’s just learning how to use his body, so his whole game was built on mid-range. But if you look at our last 10 games or so and look at him finishing, that’s more realistic of who he will be – it’s just taking some time for him to grow into his body, and I think he’s still growing, but his mind is always at an elite level.”
Take a listen to Capel’s entire call in to Kevin above!
